Set-off attachment for track-supported equipment



Sept. 11, 1956 H. H..TA| BQYS SET-OF' F' ATTACHMENT FOR TRACK-SUPPORTED EQUIPMENT Filed Deo. 29, 1951 uffa/arie ey',

United States Patent O SET-OFF ATTACHMENT FOR TRACK-SUPPORTED EQUIPMENT Henry H. Talboys, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Nordberg Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application December 29, 1951, Serial No. 264,157

3 Claims. (Cl. 10S-177) My invention relates to an improvement in set-oil? devices and has for one purpose to provide a set-o device adapted for use with heavy track supported equipment.

Another purpose is to provide means for quickly and eciently removing laterally from the track equipment which normally rides along the rails of a track.

Another purpose is to provide a set-off device or connections for track supported equipment which are mounted on and move with the equipment they assist in removing.

Another purpose is to provide a readily actuated set-oit device, which may be manually powered.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specication and claims.

I illustrate the invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation;

Figure 2 is an end elevation on an enlarged scale, with parts omitted;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a partial perspective view.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specication and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 1 generally indicate railroad ties imbedded in and supported by any suitable ballast 2. 3, 3 illustrate track rails secured to the ties 1. A generally indicates a unit of trackworking equipment, the details of which do not of themselves form part of the present invention. It will be understood, however, that the unit in question includes any suitable frame or chassis, generally indicated at 4, upon which are rotatably mounted rail-engaging anged wheels 5. It will be understood that in the normal use of the device, it is supported upon and moves along the rails 3, being guided and supported therealong by the anged wheels 5.

Trackworking equipment normally used for working on right-of-way must be removed from live track when trains or locomotives pass over the track. It is a purpose of the present invention to provide means, preferably carried by the equipment to be removed, which permits a relatively small crew of men quickly to remove or set-off the equipment.

In the structure herein shown, I illustrate a plurality of brackets or supports, generally indicated at 10, of which there may advantageously be two at each end of the unit. Secured to each said bracket and extending downwardly therefrom is a ram 11. The details of the ram do not of themselves form part of the present invention, but it will be understood that each such ram is in the form a cylinder within which is a pis-ton having the external rod 12 secured to one of the brackets 10. 13, 13 indicate ducts or tubes, wholly or in part flexible, which extend to any suitable pump 14. While the pump may be motor actuated, it may equally readily be hand actuated. Thus I illustrate in Figure 2 a manual actuating handle 15.

It will be understood that, if desired, I may employ a single pump for all four rams, the interiors of the cylinders of the rams being, if desired, in simultaneous communiricc cation with the pump 14. It will be understood that as the pump is actuated, for example by rotation of the handle 15, to deliver pressure, preferably hydraulic, along the ducts 13, pressure is simultaneously delivered beneath the piston or each ram. Preferably, the rams are provided with a predetermined piston travel which, in effect, constitutes limit means.

At each end of the unit A, I illustrate a pair of lever elements 20, 21, which are shown as pivoted to a common pivot as at 22. The lever elements are shown as double, as will be clear from Figure 3. Within the outer ends of each double lever, I yillustrate a flanged roller or wheel 25, rotatably mounted as at 26. As will be clear for example from Figures 2 and 4, when the operator actuates the pump 14, pressure is simultaneously delivered through the ducts 13 to the interior of each of the ram cylinders 11. Assume that before actuating the pump, take-off or cross rails 30 are manually put across the track rails 3, in line beneath the flanged wheels or rollers 25. As pressure is built up within the rams, relative movement is given to the cylinders and pistons of the rams. As soon as the row of anged rollers 25 engage the cross or take-oil rails 30 and can descend no farther, the continued application or increase in pressure is then effective to elevate the piston rods 12 and, through the brackets 10, to raise the entire structure A upwardly from the track rails 3. As soon as the structure A has been elevated a sucient distance to permit the anges 5A of the wheels 5 to clear the rails 3 then, by a relatively slight exertion, the entire structure A can be moved laterally along the rails 30 until it is past the side of the right-of-way. Any suitable temporary supporting means or rails can be provided for it, and the cross or take-oli rails 30 are then removed from the track rails 3, leaving the track free for the passage of trains. As soon as it is desired to return the equipment or structure A to the track, the same process is carried out in reverse.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and claimed a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. It Will be understood, for eX- ample, that my invention may be applied to any vehicle or structure which rides along track rails and which requires removal from time to time to permit the passage of trains. It will be understood that I do not Wish to be limited to any specic type of elevating means, but nd hydraulic rams eicient. The details of the pump 14 may be widely varied and it may be manually operated or motor operated. Where a relatively compact short structure is to be removed, all of the rams 11 may be secured to a single pump 14. However, it will be understood that for vehicles of great length or great complexity or weight, it may be advantageous to have two or more pumps and also to have more than two pairs of rams, or their equivalent.

It will be understood that the set-oit attachment may be embodied and initially constructed with the vehicle with which it is used or that the attachment may be applied as a conversion unit to rail supported vehicles already completed and in use.

It will be understood also that I may use any suitable means for supporting the equipment or structure A when removed. A practical structure for such position is shown in my United States Letters VPatent No. 2,530,588, which issued November 2l, 1950, for Set-01T Device.

I claim:

l. In a set-off attachment for the frames of railsupported vehicles having anged wheels, a set-off assembly including a plurality of levers pivoted to said vehicle for rotation about a generally horizontal axis intermediate the wheels of the vehicle, said levers being mounted upon a common pivot, one lever elt'en'd'ingout-y wardly toward 911e rail andhlslthenlever extending, 911: wardly toward the other rail, lantifriction means positioned adjacent the outer end oi` each lever, said antifriction means beingtadapted tocride onja` Grossi-ail positioned upon andf across the rails onthetrack on which the vehicle is` supported,. and an hydraulic rain connectedl between the outer end of each lever and a slide of the vehicle frame, said hydraulic ram being formed andadapted uponfactuationv ereof to swingits associated lever about the common pivot. l

2. In a set-off attachment for'` the frames ofrailsupported vehicles havingl anged Wheels,l a-Aset-ot as sembly including a plurality ofA levers pivotedto. said vehicle for rotation about a generally horizontal axis intermediate'the wheels of thvehicl'e, saidr` levers being mounted upon a common pivot,-one lever extending' out Wardly towardY one rail and the other lever extending out- Wardly toward' the other rail, antifriction means positioned adjacentl the outer end of eacli'lever, said`r antifrictionmeansbeing adapted to yride on'a cross railpositioned uponand across tlie rails on 'die track on which 4 tlie vehicle is supported; and hydraulic rar' for' each leYet between the ,Outer endof eachnlever, .and asidapf said vehicle, said ram being adapted upon actuation thereof to swing its associated lever about said pivot, and a manually actuatable pump adapted to supply uid to said rams.

3. The structure of claimA 1,l characterized in that each said hydraulic `ram includes an hydrauliccylinder and a piston prioporti'onedE to limit the expansin of tlie` rarn and thus the movement1 of the-lever to a predetermined distance suicient to clear the anged lWheels of the vehicle from the rails of the track on which the vehicle is initially supported.

Rferemscifed in die fuenf aiskpfafe UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,416,589 Wallace May 16, 1922 2,110,230 Main Mar. 8, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 

